Network protocol

A network protocol is a set of rules that govern how data is transferred between applications and, in this context, between a client and a database server. The rules of a protocol are implemented in a network driver. A network driver contains the code that formats the data when it is sent from client to database server and from database server to client.

Clients and database servers gain access to a network driver by way of a network programming interface. A network programming interface contains system calls or library routines that provide access to network-communications facilities. An example of a network programming interface for UNIX is TLI (Transport Layer Interface). An example of a network programming interface for Windows is WINSOCK (sockets programming interface).

The power of a network protocol lies in its ability to enable client/server communication even though the client and database server are on different computers with different architectures and operating systems.

You can configure the database server to support more than one protocol, but consider this option only if some clients use TCP/IP.